Patients with respiratory ailments may be treated with respiratory assist devices, for example devices that deliver supplemental breathing gas to a patient. Such devices include devices that deliver gas to a patient using high flow therapy (HFT). HFT devices deliver a high flow rate of breathing gas to a patient via a nasal cannula to increase a patient's fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) while decreasing a patient's work of breathing. Some HFT devices heat and humidify the delivered breathing gas to reduce patient discomfort.
Patients receiving respiratory therapy may also benefit from administration of nebulized medications. Nebulizers allow aerosolized respiratory medications, such as bronchodilators (e.g., Albuterol (Ventolin), Salbutamol (Proventil), Levosalbutamol/Levalbuterol (Xopenex)) for treating asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to be administered through inhalation directly to a patient's lungs. Nebulizers may be connected to respiratory assist devices to supply nebulized medication together with supplemental breathing gas. Such systems can allow a patient to receive the medication without stopping use of a respiratory assist device.
A combination of nebulized medication and HFT can be used to assist patients experiencing respiratory distress and provide a comfortable and effective management of cardiopulmonary conditions. A challenge associated with delivering nebulized medication via a high-flow system is condensation of moisture from the mixture of heated and humidified breathing gas and nebulized medication. Condensation in a ventilation circuit presents both clinical and mechanical challenges, as the condensate can build up to limit flow through the system and also collect and stagnate which presents a biologic hazard to the patient.